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Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, or any of its characters. All rights go to Richelle Mead.

RPOV

The air around me was filled with the scent of pine trees and dirt. But it was mixed with something else…I inhaled deeply, letting the sweet mystery aroma fill me up. It was intoxicating, and I felt my mouth begin to water. I wanted to taste it, whatever it was. I parted my mouth slightly, breathing more deeply. I heard the soft chirping of crickets from some where around me, it mixed with the sounds of rushing water, and then the snapping of a twig from some where off in the distance. My eyes snapped open at the disturbance. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. The moon told me that the day had past well into the night, but there was no darkness, the sky was bright and clear. I could see every detail of every leaf in the trees that loomed above me, I saw past them even. I gasped, taking in my surroundings, it was startling.

I sat up, realizing that I had been lying on the muddy banks of a river. Glancing down at my appearance, I saw that my legs were covered in dried blood and the dress I wore was nearly torn to shreds. I ran my hands through my hair, dislodging a few dried leaves that had become entangled in my long tresses. Something was different, my hair felt like silk, softer than it had ever been. I ran my fingers down the length of a few strands, the feeling was exhilarating. Next, I ran my tongue across my lips, but stopped when I felt something sharp. I moved my tongue more slowly, letting it probe the corners of my mouth. I had fangs, sharp ones.

"You're awake, good."

I was on my feet in a flash. My body moved like a dream. I inhaled sharply at the man who had approached me. It was Dimitri…he was a Strigoi. I brought my hands up to my mouth, inspecting my fangs further with the tips of my fingers.

I was a Strigoi.

He had awakened me, and it was everything he had said it would be and more. Dimitri walked toward me, he looked to be in a state similar to mine. His clothing was torn and his face showed signs of exhaustion. Despite his current state, he looked more like a god to me now than he had ever looked back at the academy. How had a mortal life ever been enough for me?

"We need to get back to Galina's before the sun comes up."

I tossed my hair over my shoulder confidently and strode over to meet him half-way. I placed my palm on his chest, wanting to feel him. My fingers crept in through the hole in his shirt I had created with the stake I had crafted from the furniture of my posh prison. His skin was ice cold and felt divine. I suddenly wanted to experience everything he had talked about. What would it be like to press my lips to his? I felt a stirring deep within me, a hunger. But I realized that this was a very particular hunger, one that could only be satiated by one thing.

"You can go," I told him, flashing a smile full of fang. "I think I'd like to grab something to eat first."

He brought his hand up to grab ahold of mine. He jerked it away from his chest, but didn't release it. Instead he used it to drag me after him as he turned away from the river that surged behind us. He was strong, but right now, I was stronger. I ripped my arm away from him.

He spun around, his red ringed eyes boring holes into my own.

"You're not ready," he hissed. "We have blood at the house."

I scoffed at his words. Not ready?

"Where's the fun in that?" I pouted.

I wanted to find my own prey, to stalk it, sink my teeth into it. I bit my lip, thinking about the hunt.

"Do as I say," he growled.

I laughed, "Is that how you think this is going to be? Do you think I'll obey your every command? I'm not that vulnerable girl you snatched off the streets of Portland all those months ago."

I felt power coursing through my veins, I was invincible. There had been a time when I would have done practically anything to please the man who stood before me. What a silly girl I had been, a weak girl.

"I made you this way," he told me. "You aren't that girl because I made you better."

I smirked, "You give yourself too much credit."

He gave me a hard look.

"The sun will be up in an hour. Besides, I'm sure what I have planned for you is better than whatever urchin you pick off the streets of Novosibirsk."

His words intrigued me, and after a few moments, I decided to indulge him.

"Fine," I told him stiffly. "Lead on."

Dimitri led me through the twisted hedge maze that surrounded Galina's mansion. I had more of an appreciation for its grandeur now that I wasn't limping desperately toward an exit I wasn't sure existed. Dimitri hadn't let go of my hand yet, and the constant contact of skin on skin was enough to drive me mad with desire. He led me to the front door, which I had never laid eyes on before. The doors were massive and made of dark wood, complete with ornate polished handles. Dimitri opened one of the doors and pulled me inside. I had him shoved against the paneled walls of the foyer before the door even had a chance to click shut.

At first he tried to push me away from him, but my rebirth gave me strength and the upper hand. I pinned him against the wall with my own body. I felt a mixture of clothing fibers and smooth skin beneath my hands as I raked them over him. I wanted him, but for reasons I had never known before. I needed to claim him, to show him he was mine.

I brought my mouth up to meet his in a hard kiss. There was no gentle teasing to the way I kissed him, it was all passion and desire. He managed to grip my arms tightly and used his hold to spin me around, reversing our position. His hands slid down my arms and every where he touched burned. They continued to slide down the sides of my body and stopped at the hem of my dress. He tore at the material, what had been left of it. His hands moved around to cup my butt. He squeezed and then lifted me off the ground, driving my back up the wall. My legs wrapped around his waist as one of his hands snaked up my neck. His fingers wound themselves in my hair and he tugged on it sharply as he brought his lips down to kiss my throat. Nothing I had ever experienced before my awakening compared to what I felt now. My nerves were on fire, and my heart threatened to beat its way out of my chest. I wanted him, but not like this, not when he had all the control.

I unwound my legs from his waist, and brought my hands up to shove him away. It caught him off guard and he stumbled back for just a moment.

I gave him my man-eater smile. I supposed I would be taking that description more literally in the near future.

"No," I said in a low husky voice. "You said you had something for me."

He eyed me playfully.

"I do."

He turned and I followed him up the stairs and down a long corridor. He led me through a door I didn't recognize, one that wasn't guarded by a series of vaulted doors and pass codes. I was immediately overcome with the same intoxicating scent I had woken up to. The room was extravagant, covered in a deep red carpet and with gilded chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. It was almost overwhelming. What struck me the most, however, was the huddled form that lay on the bed. It was a girl. She smelled of sweat, and something else, something I couldn't quite place. Something that made my mouth water.

I glanced at Dimitri and he nodded. I stepped towards her and realized that the girl was Inna. She turned to see who had approached her and let out a strangled cry. There was still a small wound on her neck from where I had interrogated her. The bleeding had slowed, but it was still fresh. I was suddenly able to place the scent that filled me with longing. It was blood.

I was on top of her before she had time to even register what I was doing. She writhed beneath me as I straddled her. Her eyes were wide with terror and she seemed to be pleading with me in rapid Russian.

"Oh Inna," I crooned. "Shhh, you were always responsible for my meals before now, why all the hesitation?" I brought my mouth down to whisper into her ears. "Don't you want this?"

I could hear her heart thumping against her rib cage, sending blood to her extremities. I couldn't take it any more. I bit down into her neck and moaned with satisfaction. The taste was divine, I didn't want it to ever end. Inna, who had been struggling before, sagged into the bed. The endorphins from my saliva had entered her system, and knowing that I had been the one to give her that pleasure only spurred me to drink faster.

I fed until I could no longer hear Inna's blood pulsing through her body. Afterward, I sat up, moving my hand to wipe away the blood that dribbled down my chin. Dimitri was suddenly standing at the side of the bed, he grabbed at my arm before I had a chance to clean myself up.

"No. Get up," he commanded.

I untangled myself from Inna's lifeless body and kneeled on the bed before him. Another, entirely different hunger threatened to consume me. He scooped up Inna and deposited her into the hallway, freeing up the bed space.

"That," he said, resuming his place in front of me. "Was incredible to watch. I knew this would be the right thing for you."

He stepped even closer to me, and brought his face down so that it was level to mine. His mouth brushed over the corner of my lips where Inna's blood still lingered. I realized now what he wanted. His mouth moved slowly over the places where blood had gotten on my skin, following a little red trail across my neck. His pace was agonizing. I needed him now.

I pulled him onto the bed with me in one swift motion, tearing at his shirt as I went. He forced me underneath him, using his size against me. I decided to let him, for now. My lips parted as he brought his mouth to meet my own, letting our tongues meet in a passionate kiss. He managed to rip away the remaining shreds of fabric that had managed to cling to my body. He stopped to look down at me.

"You are amazing," he told me, his eyes brimming with lust.

I managed to roll him over so that I straddled him the way I had Inna only a few minutes before.

"You have no idea."